Four Seasons
by Nameless killer
Summary: Can the past make you stronger or will it make you falter? -- She is so near yet so far. "Can you catch her, Natsume?" Darkfic.
1. Chapter One: Panic

**DISCLAIMER: **You know me well.

To all readers: Some scenes are based from the manga itself.

Note: **THINK!**

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**I need to go. **

**I need to. **

**Go. **

_My childhood had been a very important memory for me because I that was the time when I met Hotaru. _

_I was ten years young when she went away and studied somewhere far. Somewhere that could meet up her high standards, where average and normal people wouldn't be able to enter. _

_But, I was never your average and normal girl. Or so I thought. _

_So I gathered all my willpower to search for her. _

_Eventually, luck was on my side and I managed to infiltrate the academy where Hotaru was in. _

_And then I met you. _

_You and I_

_Were we really meant for each other? _

_Was it just my illusion?_

_Or yours?_

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F O U R S E A S O N S

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_Dear Grandpa, _

_I'm sorry for stealing money from your savings and for running away from home. I really have my reasons to chase her. I hope you would understand my situation. Right now, I'm at Alice Academy. They said I don't need money to enroll and the exams wouldn't be a problem fof me. I'm really sorry grandpa_.

_I'm doing fine, the students here are very nice and friendly. Please don't worry about me. _

_Take care_

_-Mikan S. _

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I was a very good liar when it came to writing letters for my grandpa.

**Commencing Memory Restoration at 5%**

Spring was the season when I first entered the Academy. Actually, I only thought of seeing Hotaru. Being a student of Alice Academy didn't enter my mind.

The guards at the Academy said that visiting students are prohibited. So, when luck came to my side, a weird teacher saved me from kidnappers while loitering outside the academy. Well, after that, he kinda offered me to study at the Academy.

Lucky? I thought I was, back then.

They say Alice Academy is only for the gifted and superior minds. I was none of that, but a strange looking teacher said that I qualify being a student. I kinda doubted him, because I really wasn't sure about my own abilities and stuff but my mind was settled to see Hotaru no matter means or rivers I must cross.

So, I just said yes.

After dealing with the kidnappers and the transaction with the teacher, I faced him for the first time.

The kid wearing the infamous cat mask. The boy who was able to create fire from nothing.

My very first sworn enemy.

_Natsu----_**BZZZZT**

**Memory Restoration at 13%**

By the time I was considered as a temporary student at the academy.

I have seen many looks from many people.

Disdain, Disgust, Hate, Irritation, Annoyance, Interest, Amusement.

Different expression of eyes from different unknown people.

But after seeing Hotaru, I said to myself that those kind of eyes aren't enough to bring me down.

Being a very cheerful and optimistic person, I shrugged it off and continued making friends with everyone. Fortunately, I succeeded.

Before experiencing my first festival in the Alice Academy, my classmate Natsume got kidnapped before Sumire's eyes and mine. Much to our reflex, we rescued him without thinking about the risk.

And we succeeded.

I didn't notice that since then, my whole world began to spin in reverse. Everything changed because in the very day of the festival I-- - **bzzzzzt.**

Static. Everything became static and she no longer found the words.

5

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**Memory Restoration at 34%**

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1

_Normal. Everything's normal now_.

**Summer was the season when I faltered and you caught me.** The elementary school principal had his surveillance on me and I didn't know one bit about it before. He had his own pawn to observe and destroy me and her name is Luna.

She schemed.

Broke souls

Broke hearts

Broke lives

Broke hopes

But none of those satisfied her because---

I was the one she wanted to break

Everyone became against me including Natsume. Everything became pitch black but I heard a motherly voice said

"Please give Mikan strength"

She prayed for me but I didn't know who she was. I saw a small light and grabbed it quickly. I gathered all my strength and prayed that everyone would stop going against me.

And it worked as if they'd been waken from a nightmare.

Luna warned me not to get close to someone if I wanted them to stay out of trouble so—I avoided everyone including Natsume.

I got isolated. I saw everyone laughing without me but Natsume grabbed my arms and -------** bzzzzzzzt**.

_Static. Everything became static_

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**1**

**Memory Restoration at 43%**

"Hurry up Imai, can't you hasten the restoration?"

"Please don't interrupt me when I'm doing my job"

"Tch."

_Normal. Everything is normal again._

**Autumn was the season when you accompanied me even though your life was on the line. **My friend Yuu came back from home and he lost his alice. He was isolated because people feared that they might lose theirs as well. I hated the person who stole his alice so when Hotaru and I heard that the thief was in the academy, we didn't hesitate to go and see for ourselves_._

We hid behind the thick bushes as we saw the infiltrators. Unfortunately, I stood up to see them up close so they spotted me. Hotaru stood up as well and was shot by a poisoned bullet.

I vowed to rescue her by any means. Even if it means that I have to risk my life as well.

I ventured together with Natsume, Ruka and Tsubasa-senpai. I saw the moonlit with Natsume and he said, "You should put your hair down in the next 5 years"

We found their hideout and I accidentally stepped on a trap causing myself to be separated away from them. I got locked up in a cage together with a live skeleton. I was really scared but just remembering Hotaru suffering because of me snapped me back to reality.

A beautiful woman came inside the cage and I was infuriated. She was the one who stole my friend's alice. She snapped at me and hit me with her belt. Everything on her pouch came flying across the room and I found what I was looking for.

_The antidote. _

And then, she disappeared giving me the perfect time to escape.

I searched for my friends immediately. I found them in a really pinch situation. I made a move in an impulse, causing Natsume to get angry with me. Natsume got off guard an was attacked by an explosion alice causing me to be at the hands of the opponent.

The woman I saw earlier was ordered by the man holding me to steal Natsume's alice. I saw Natsume unwavering, as if wanting his alice to be stolen. I screamed, "Move! Natsume! Move!" at the top of my lungs and he slapped the woman's hand away from his.

Speeding up restoration. Memory restoration at 52%

The penguin given to me by Hotaru fell into nothingness and Natsume pulled me up from falling. He shouted, "Baka! Wha------**bzzzzzzzzzt**"

_Black out. Static_.

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**Memory restoration at 65% . Restoration on hiatus. Current memory restored: 60%** .

"Imai, what the f** are you doing?"

"Answer me first, what exactly do you plan her to do after restoring all of her memory?"

"I need my alice back"

"Then what? Let her fall into the hands of that stupid principal once again?"

"…"

"She has suffered long enough, Hyuuga"

"And who do you think was the one responsible for bringing her to a long sleep? Who cooperated with me to bring her back? Oh-wait. Wasn't that you? You want her back."

"You know nothing about her, Hyuuga. Nothing."

**Restoration on hiatus. Program will start flashback while idling. Please input command as soon as possible to avoid any corruptions. **

**Current memory restored: 60%**

_Winter_was the season when I received my first kiss.I was so excited with the Christmas masquerade ball. Everyone is ought to help with the preparations. As expected to my alice, I cannot help with the tree decorating or with the costume designing. I wasn't needed---what good will a nullifying alice do? I sulked but Tsubasa sempai came and lifted my spirits up.

I was included in the cake making team. There, I saw a girl named Nobara. She was so beautiful and shy; she had the alice of ice and I admired her for it. We quickly became friends and ---

**Program is auto-forwading, Ms. Imai. Please input command as soon as possible to avoid any corruptions**

I was wearing a red dress for Christmas masquerade party. I saw You-chan sad and asked him what happened. As the usual, he ignored me but Ruka explained why. It seemed like he wanted to play with Mr. Bear so I came and made a contract with Mr Bear.

**Program is auto-forwading, Ms. Imai. Please input command as soon as possible to avoid any corruptions**

I went to the balcony to inhale some fresh air. You-chan approached me, gave me a quick peck on the cheek then ran off to Mr. Bear.

Ruka came after and said his thanks to me; he surprised me by giving me a chaste kiss on the cheek. I became flustered.

**Memory restoration still on hiatus. Command? **

"Hm. So that happened when I left her during the party."

"What are you doing, Imai. Stop rewinding and proceed with the restoration"

"Shut up"

"Tch."

**Restoration on hiatus. Program will start flashback while idling. Please input command as soon as possible to avoid any corruptions. **

**Current memory restored: 60%**

I was dancing with Natsume when I accidentally tripped and fell into him. Everyone thought that we kissed and Natsume intensified their suspicion when he said, "You're such a lame kisser". I was infuriated and I walked out from everyone. I heard some boys said "Natsume's such an adult!" "Maybe he kissed a lot girls from before". I shrugged off the prick of pain I felt and stomped my way out of the party.

**Program is auto-forwading, Ms. Imai. Please input command as soon as possible to avoid any corruptions**

I climbed on the tree where Natsume was sitting at. I asked him, "Why did you say that? Is my humiliation fun for you?"

He kept quiet and I kept on blabbering, "Kissing must be a joke on you because you may have kissed a lot before" I kept uttering words---when he grabbed my shoulders and kis-----**bzzzzzzzt**.

**Ms Imai, an unknown user infiltrated the program. Systems are unable to respond. **

**Aborting memory restoration. Please input com----Access granted, unknown user. **

**Memory deletion in queue, continue? Please be reminded that deletion will be permanent, continue?**

**Memory deletion in 5 seconds**

**5**

"Imai, what is happening?"

"I don't know. Her alice is fighting mine" A raven-haired woman typed a lot of incoherent words into the computer screen. Inwardly, she is feeling paranoid. She doesn't want this to happen.

"…What's happening to her"

"Keep quiet, I'm trying my best to stop it."

"…"

**4**

A woman at her mid-twenties lay in a bed with wires connected in different parts of her body. Her long brown hair was messily tied into a side ponytail.

She lay there, asleep.

Two figures are watching her from a large window, one is facing the computer screen; typing furiously in the keyboard. The other one is watching the sleeping woman.

**3**

Blood trickled from the corners of her red lips. Her alice is working unconsciously.

_Blood._

**Memory deletion, on hold**

**Memory deletion in 2 seconds**

**Memory deletion, on hold**

_More blood_

_More and more blood_

The seat from which the raven-haired girl sat on was emptied. The computer was ignored.

The two figures watching earlier raced to the girl sleeping.

The tall man kept on calling his partner "Imai! She's bleeding"

The girl named Imai injected an unknown serum into the girl's body.

**Memory deletion, cancelled. Unknown user left the program. Please input command, Ms. Imai**

Relief is what they both felt.

But

Did the sleeping girl feel the same?

_Please hear me out._

_-tbc-_

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**Edited**: 04/28/2009

Thank you for reading. Memory restoration and stuff are kinda based from kingdom hearts II. Some scenes are based from the manga itself, so if you're not familiar with the manga, you might be lost with this story. I must say, the manga is sooooo awesome. Way, way, way, way better than the animated version. Damn, the manga is DARK!

So, if you're confused--don't hesitate to ask.

Reviews inspire me. Please continue to support this fic. :)

Once again, thank you.


	2. Chapter Two: Courage

**DISCLAIMER: **You know the drill.

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**I'll set you free **

**Only if**

**You set me free.**

**Will you give me my freedom back? **

_I am a coward, a big one. Here am I, thinking that my alice will make me stronger but I am becoming more of a coward everyday. _

_I ran away from everyone. _

_I ran away from everything._

_I ran because I am a coward. _

_But Hotaru caught me. _

_So I locked myself up. _

_I am so stupid. _

_You and I_

_We argue all the time_

_You said you hate me_

_But why are you still chasing me? _

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**F O U R **

**S E A S O N S**

_Your love is as cold as winter_

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_**Spring was the season when we became enemies**. __Natsume gave me a test to prove if I'm a true alice or not; I was scared. _

_Because I'm a coward._

_Yuu accompanied me in my venture throughout the woods. We got stuck in a quicksand and was rescued with a price of 50 rabbits by my bestfriend. _

_I was amazed on how big and amazing the woods was. For the first time in my life, I saw a moving teddy bear. I came to hug it because it was so cute but it punched the hell out of me. _

_Luckily, my bestfriend rescued me. After the moving teddy bear, we encountered the mutated chick named Piyo. It was so humongous and hungry that we became food in his perspective. We hid behind the bushes and thought of a plan to calm the mutated animal. _

_Because of Hotaru's intellect and scheming abilities and Yuu's alice we tricked the boy who had his pheromone alice. Ruka is his name; he became angry at first but he calmed down after solving our problem. _

_Ruka is the bestfriend of Natsume so when he heard that we "captured" Ruka, he became furious and went after us. _

_He glared at me and pulled my hair. He said "You fail". He meant to erase my existence, I thought during that time. He surrounded Hotaru and Yuu with his firewall and I became scared. _

Because I am a coward

_I couldn't think straight so I just attacked him without thinking. He also lunged at me and made a big fire enough to burn my whole existence but I nullified it _

_**---bzzzzzt**_

The large computer monitor's light radiated the scientist's room; Hotaru Imai's room to be specific. There are a lot of trashes in her room; large piles of empty canned food and some sketch paper littered her room. She is too lazy to make a room-cleaning robot and besides, she needs to focus on her bestfriend.

"Mikan" She whispers to no one as she continues to work on Mikan's situation.

The door in her room creaks open and a tall figure enters. He is clad in a simple black polo shirt and black denim pants. He walks toward the inventor and questions, "How is **she**?"

"**She** is sleeping", the inventor replied in a flat tone, annoying the raven-haired man completely.

"I know that, what I mean is her memory's restoration" he gritted his teeth in annoyance, glaring at Hotaru's unwavering presence.

**MEMORY RESTORATION AT 15%**

"You heard the computer, Hyuuga. Now, scram before I shoot you", she says in venom-coated voice. She hates his presence for he is the main reason why her best friend ran away.

"Tch."

And she hears the door close.

A single tear falls from her lavender eye. "Why are you running away, Mikan?"

**MEMORY RESTORATION AT 38%**

**_Summer was the season when you confessed to me, indirectly_**. _I was in the red team while Hotaru and Ruka are in the white team. I was glad that Natsume and I were in the same team but Luna came to Natsume and asked him to transfer to the white team. I hoped that he wouldn't join her but he did. I did my best to smile. I really did. And so, the sports fest began. _

_Everyone acted so weird, my teammates began attacking me and I used my alice accidentally. Lucky for me, they returned to normal. It was lunch break when the game of "bring me" began and I was strolling around the campus. I was shocked when a masked boy cam running and grabbed my hand quickly. He ran and I knew that its him. Ruby earrings and raven-hair; He's Natsume. I ran with him because I knew that he could be trusted. Little did I know that he was asked to bring the person he loves. _

**--bzzzzzt.**

The small monitor beside her bed shows the rate of her heartbeat and the waves in the monitors show the stability of her consciousness.

The fight begins

-BANG!-

A bullet is fired from a gun.

A person is shot.

-BANG- BANG-

"These little dogs, won't just stop chasing after us" Natsume grits his teeth as he aims for the enemies.

-WHOOOSH-

A wind alice is fired.

He is being pushed into the edge.

"Too troublesome. They even use alices against us" He cocks his gun and reloads the magazine with another set of bullets.

-BANG-BANG-BANG-BANG-

He continues to shoot as he runs away from the troops of the academy.

And the flight continues

**MEMORY RESTORATION AT 67%**

_**Autumn was the season when I realized that I love you**. __Sweat trickled on our foreheads as we ran away from the Elementary School Principal. He discovered my Alice of Thief and made me a part of the dangerous ability class immediately. It scared the heck out of me. _

_Because I am a coward. _

_Natsume rescued me from the dangerous ability class. We ran to where our feet took us; he held my hand tightly as we ran._

_Tears fell from my eyes as he said, "I want to protect you. I want to become an adult already to be able to protect you. I want to be strong enough to be with you" _

_I felt my world stop. I wanted this hand to hold me for as long as it could._

_"Me too." Was the only response I could mutter._

_**---bzzzzzzt. **_

**MEMORY RESTORATION ON HOLD.**

Hotaru stops click-clacking the keyboard and looks at the big screen.

The color of her face drains at what she sees.

She grabs her weapon and hurries outside, not noticing the new scene in the computer monitor. She doesn't know that someone interfered her computer's program. The screen flashed, typing letters one by one saying, "I m s o r r y . H o t a – "

And the computer blacks out.

The inventor doesn't know that someone is waking from her slumber.

_**I'll set you free **_

_**Only if**_

_**You set me free.**_

_**Will you give me my freedom back?**_

_**Because I'm such a coward to let you go first.**_

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A/N: How is it? Is it good or bad? Please inspire me to continue. Comments and suggestions are highly appreciated. Flames are good but constructive criticisms are better. Please forgive my faulty parallelisms. I look forward to your sweet or bitter reviews. :D

Make me smile with your reviews, please:)


	3. Chapter Three: Farewell

**DISCLAIMER: **I'm a potato. **El patatas! :D**

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**I am a thief**

**I steal because it benefits the victim**

**Or does it? **

_You and I_

_Mine is mine_

_And yours is yours_

_So what I steal is mine and not yours._

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**F** O** U** R

**S **E **A **S **O **N **S**

_The scorching heat of the sun is as hot as your anger._

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_My limbs were shattered, my bones were broken, my heart was skipping a beat, my joints were numbing but my face was as clear as ice. _

_You saw blood flowing out from my system but you only laughed at me. _

_That scary laugh haunted my dreams for so long. _

_You enjoyed seeing me suffer. _

_You knew that I wouldn't die from simple wounds. _

_For I stole an alice of regeneration. _

_My limbs were well intact, my bones were strong again, my heart was back to normal, my joints were pulsating and my face was as clear as ice. _

_So you started torturing me all over again. _

"_Please save me."_

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**Chapter **Three**: **

**F **A **R **E **W** E **L **L

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A woman at her early twenties blinked her pair of olive-green eyes. She took a quick glance at her surroundings and her curiosity was aroused. Eventually, she saw different colors and sizes of wires attached into her frail body. She heard the beeping of the machine beside her bed and she knew that it was for her heart.

Mikan Sakura was not that stupid to let her situation be unnoticed by herself. She knew that someone she may or may not know of held her captive. And so, she started to move out.

X

Hotaru Imai was busy guarding off her laboratory from some infiltrators. She felt her watch on her left wrist vibrate and then shut off. And she knew something was not going right.

She reloaded another set of poisoned shells into her self-invented shotgun. "Hyuuga, someone infiltrated my database", she shouted across her partner.

"What do you expect me to do with that?" he retorted while dodging a rain of bullets.

A vein seemed to twitch in her forehead"Tch, and here was I thinking that you're a genius." She mumbled to herself in annoyance. She fished out an unknown type of grenade from her pocket and took out two gas masks from her backpack. "Oi Hyuuga, wear this and go to that sleeping idiot", she ordered and he quickly obliged.

Natsume Hyuuga wore the mask without any questions and ran towards 'the sleeping idiot's room'. He ran while dodging bullets and shooting some of the enemies blocking his view.

Hotaru sped up her pace and shot some more enemies, waiting for a perfect timing to set off the grenade. She took a quick glance at the cracked walls of her once beautiful laboratory. Once over with the little fries, she cocked the grenade and fired it. She grabbed the remote from the left pocket of her pants and pushed some buttons.

Layers of steel walls went down and divided the laboratory into two. The enemies tried to break down the wall but it was futile.

Hotaru Imai succeeded isolating the enemies temporarily.

X

"_I'm so sorry."_

"_---I need to do this."_

"_Goodbye"_

Natsume was disturbed by some of his random flashbacks. All he heard was _**her**_ voice and it bothered him like hell. He decided to speed up because he knew something was not really going according to the inventor's blueprint. Upon seeing the door to her room, he pushed it open immediately, only to have the color from his face drained and his eyes wide in shock.

In that silent little white room, he saw her awake.

"Long time no see, Natsume" she greeted him with a small sad smile.

He shrugged of his shock and got his proper composure right away.

"You too, idiot", his eyes trailed from her head to her toe. He saw no wires connected into her body and he suspected if everything is all right. He moved closer to her, "Give me my alice back." He ordered in a very serious tone.

Her little pinkish lips twitched a little and curved downwards, "Sorry.", she muttered while looking at him with her solid green eyes. She stood away from her bed and continued staring at him.

Their staring contest lasted only for a few seconds because he tried to grab her shoulders. His hands only went past her, she was transparent and he was curious.

"Alice", she stated while looking at him with sad eyes. She lifted both of her pale hands and touched his cheeks while saying, "Sorry, but I have to go."

His eyes widened in surprise and he tried to hold her arms to keep her away from moving but he failed. He couldn't utter a word.

She turned her heels away from him and started walking little by little.

It was deja vu. This scenario happened before and he knew she was going to run away from him again. He couldn't let this happen; after all she owed him his alice and another important thing.

She halted.

He reached for her.

She half-turned and said, "I'm truly sorry".

He succeeded in touching her shoulder but it only lasted for a few seconds. He saw blood trickle from the corners of her mouth and a fire was lit.

She closed her eyes. Lights from across the room dimmed and then blacked out. Only the fire she lit illuminated some parts of the room.

He let go of her shoulders and he didn't know why he did that.

He noticed the flame was getting dimmer and dimmer and the lights were going back to normal. He knew that she was going away.

"Goodbye." He heard her whisper and---

The flame disappeared and the fluorescent lights shone brightly, illuminating the room.

---- she disappeared.

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Author's note: Okay, I tried changing a bit of my writing style. So did you or did you not like it? Come on, tell me what's going on on your head.:D I won't bite.

I know, this chapter is quite short and I'm sorry.

Comments, suggestions and a whole lot more are highly appreciated by me. :)

Make me happy, make me smile, send me a review for it will only take you a while.

Super special mention to my friend **_cookiemonster789_:** Thank you for listening to my nonsense at school.

Special mention to these reviewers: _**allycat2090 ,InvisableKiss, Heartplay, Emmoria, fitha, pLumBloSsoM07, i'mnotemojustgoth , lovexxlikexxthis3**_

I love reading your reviews.


	4. Chapter Four: Reunion

**DISCLAIMER**: I'm no Japanese but I'm a corn. :D

* * *

**I feel like running is the only thing I'm good at. **

**After all, it's a part of being a thief**

**Can you catch me? **

You and I

_You protected me_

_I protected you_

_Why couldn't we just protect ourselves?_

_The result would be the same, right?_

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F **O** **U R**

**S E A S O N** S

_You freshen up my day like spring_.

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_The white clouds forming different shapes and sizes played in the blue skies. The wind blew so softly in the academy grounds. Sweet and serene laughter echoed in the gardens of the school. Some students lazily laid into their beds, others perspired into playing ball games, and others took a sip into their afternoon tea and continued reading and studying for tomorrow's lecture._

_It was a peaceful Sunday afternoon but others didn't expect such catastrophe to happen._

_A brown-haired girl in her sixteen years of spring held her black duffle bag tightly. She was planning to escape the cage she entered. She couldn't help but to feel stupid into voluntarily entering the academy._

_She eyed her one-star room once again; plain white walls, a simple average bed, her once study table filled with piles of papers and layers of books, her alarm clock, the door to her bathroom, her small closet consisting of nothing but her uniforms and old clothes, and her picture album resting on her bedside table. _

_She wanted the picture of her room be in her memories. After all, she wanted it to be a part of her past, not to be a part of her present life._

_She gathered her spirits up and reached for the doorknob. Upon reaching the doorknob, she was surprised to see hell. _

_"Where do you think you're going, Sakura?" a masked figure clad in an all-black attire blocked her view. _

_She tried to back away but the visitor pulled her and activated an Alice stone. _

_In the end, the door to her room was left open and the bag was turned into pieces, leaving no trace of its former form. _

_**"Mikan Sakura, welcome to the dangerous ability class"**_

_Who knew that a peaceful Sunday afternoon would lead into a gruesome start of her torturous life?_

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**Chapter **Four**: **

**R **E **U **N **I **O **N**

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A kid at his ten years of age sat in the elementary principal's chair. His side-swept brown hair gave him the look of formality and the suit he wore complimented his looks. Anyone who was unfamiliar of his status would think that he was just a normal elementary school boy.

He was the elementary principal. Looks could be deceiving.

His enigmatic eyes with the shade of brown focused on his personal servant clad in all-black clothing. "Persona", he called him and he approached his master in response.

The man called to as Persona knelt in front of his master. It was a sign of courtesy; one move of disrespect would cost him his very own life. "What is it, master?" he asked, standing from his courtesy bow.

His small pale hands fiddled with stray strands of his mane "The boy who had the same alice as that girl named Imai, I remember him planting something inside my favorite girl."

"Yes, it was necessary for everyone in the dangerous ability class. However, I believe she wasn't aware of it. " Persona avoided eye contact with his master, he couldn't take the pressure.

"What made you say she wasn't?" His eyes flicked in a serious glint as he questioned.

The pair of onyx eyes widened for a fraction of second "The inventor said that the machine is still working, if she was aware, she would've destroyed it"

"Excellent. She would be coming back to me now." He stopped playing with his hair and focused his gaze upon the chirping birds outside the room's tall and large windows.

"Indeed, my master."

X

Several rows of fluorescent lights shone brightly, emphasizing the colorless walls. The heart monitor was emitting a monotonous sound, irritating the hell out of the raven-haired guy. Wires were scattered from the bed to the polished glass floor.

**-beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep~-**

He was irritated to the extreme. He got hold of his gun and shot the machine in anger; fading sounds of the beep was heard.

He heard rapid footsteps from afar and he paid no heed. It came closer and closer until---

**---BAM**

"Hyuuga, we have to get her out of----" a girl's voice faltered.

The door was pushed open and a panting raven-haired girl was shocked. Beads of sweat trickled her forehead and her huffing didn't stop. Her large amethyst eyes focused on the empty bed in front of Natsume, she was taken aback by the situation she was in.

"Where the heck is she?" she questioned in a very serious tone as she gasped for air. She pulled out her infamous 'baka gun' and aimed it towards the raven-haired guy.

Everyone knew that the gun fires automatically when aimed into a stupid person. However, the gun kept quiet.

"…" He was still lost in his own world. He heard her but he didn't care.

"I am asking you a question, idiot!" She snapped at him, raising her voice up in a way anyone she knew wouldn't think of hearing.

He turned around, "Do---you f*** think I know?" he gritted his teeth in frustration as he walked past her. He slammed the door shut before leaving her alone in the room.

She was dumbfounded; her knees gave up from the sad feeling. A pair of tears dropped from her eyes. _"I'm sorry. It's my fault that you're like this---Mikan." _

Only a set of strangled sobs was heard from the white room.

X

A teenager gifted with tall height and silver mane sighed in utter boredom. He half-heard the lecturer's words as he stared out the window, watching the clear blue sky form different abstract figures. He glanced at the lecturer for a second and much to his accord---

**-RIIIIIIIIIING- **

He was saved by the bell.

After hearing the bell, everyone in his class stood and took a bow. And then it became noisy. He had the habit of eavesdropping; eventually getting gossips that could be classified from trash to useful.

Some of his classmates gathered around the boy with the "hearing alice" so his ears seemed to perk up automatically but still maintaining his stoic composure.

"I've heard about someone crashing into the academy. And guess what? She's rumored girl."

Youichi's light green eyes widened in surprise _'She couldn't be---Mikan-nee'. _Upon discarding his thoughts, he stood away from his chair and dragged the pitiful looking boy with the hearing alice away from the crowd, leaving the others dumbfounded and curious.

X

The elementary school principal held an anti-alice bracelet invented by one of his pawns. He gazed at his sleeping captive, held her hands and then locked the bracelet at her right wrist.

Her olive green orbs snapped open, seeing the person she detested throughout her whole existence. She broke away from his touch, frightened as reminiscence occurred. She felt like hyperventilating, she was so frightened, nervous and powerless.

His mouth formed a sinister grin after seeing her antics. **"Welcome back to the dangerous ability class, Mikan", **he said not failing to send the chills out to his prisoner.

To Mikan, this is definitely déjà vu.

X

_He knew that his love was now at the Academy and he knew she was in danger. _

_She left him too but his love never faltered so he will never cease chasing after her. _

_Afterall, she stole his heart too._

_A bird landed softly on his lean shoulders, chirping. And he knew what it meant._

_"Please stop running" a silent plea that could never be heard but could be always felt. _

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**Author's Note:** Here you go, another short chapter. This is all I could reveal in this chapter. I know I revealed only a little but I hope you'll get some snips of what Mikan's life had been.

Okay, no proofreaders this time so I suppose you could point out some grammatical errors. Please do not hesitate to tell everything that is on your mind. I do not mind receiving harsh opinions or heavy criticisms; I respect your right to speak. :D

It's almost Christmas, send some love by writing reviews. It's good for the heart.

**A very special mention** to my friend **cookiemonster789** – thank you for lending me some money.

**Special mention** to these cool people and their cool world.:D

_**StarAngel02**_** allycat2090, InvisableKiss, Heartplay, Emmoria, fitha, pLumBloSsoM07, i'mnotemojustgoth , lovexxlikexxthis3**

I really love reading your reviews; it makes me grin like a complete idiot.

World peace.:D


	5. Chapter Five: Reminiscence

DISCLAIMER: I'm sweet but I'm not a potato. :D

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**Run**

**Run fast**

**Run faster**

**Run like you never ran before**

**Run for your life**

**Run**

**-before I change my mind**

_You and I_

_I was loyal to you_

_I never gave up_

_Why didn't you do the same?_

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F O U R **S E A S O N S**

_Love can be bitter at times_

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_I remembered that particular Sunday afternoon vividly. It was my first to experience being with the Dangerous Ability Class. I remembered seeing high ceilings, smooth and shiny marble floorings and huge posts made out of granite. The room was elegant but I felt auras of hatred, disgust, envy and sadness._

_The huge oak door opened and I felt everyone tense up from the creaking sound of the wood. It was the Elementary School Principal. I did not know of his true name until now. _

_He walked towards the platform, letting everyone in the classroom see his face. He was smiling and everyone got intimidated; it only raised my curiosity about his true personality. After a few seconds, he shifted his gaze onto me and I felt cold sweat trickling in my forehead. I did not know how he could make a person feel frightened with just a single eye contact. Alice perhaps? He mouthed for me to come beside him but I felt too scared to move. _

_I couldn't move. I couldn't think_

_I saw Persona coming near me and he dragged me beside the principal. _

_And so I saw the outcasts of the academy; my sight disgusted them. Perhaps because of my shameful Alice? _

"_She is my new favorite, take good care of her", He introduced me to everyone and I didn't show a sign of appreciation (I couldn't show any appreciation) The reaction of my classmates in return was blank; I couldn't decipher their facial expressions. _

_The principal's grin showed maliciousness and it frightened me a little "Surrender your Alice to her if you despise it and wishes to be free from this school. If not, continue serving under my command"_

_**I was only a thief in his eyes. **_

_Some students lifted their heads up and went to me; eventually forming a crowd. I saw their dull eyes, some were even crying. _

"_Make __**this**__ vanish"_

"_Steal my __**alice**__"_

"_Set me free, please"_

_I heard their pleas and was ready to use my second Alice. After all, I wanted to give them freedom too. I was supposed to steal an alice of poison from an elementary student when someone grabbed my arm. _

_Although he was a little taller than normal, I recognized his blood-red eyes and his raven hair. "You fool! Don't use your alice on them, they're possessed by another Alice-wielder". _

"_Your interference wasn't what I expected, kuro neko. Perhaps you would like to get yours stolen too?" the principal interrupted, earning a glare from Natsume. _

_Natsume pulled my arm harder, planning to drag me out of the room. _

_From that moment, I was so happy to have met him. He was like the knight in shining armor. _

_Cliché._

_And so, that was the start of our escape. _

**But----**

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**Chapter **Five**: **

R **E** M** I** N **I** S C **E **N C **E**

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Mikan blinked slowly seeing a blurred kid hovering her, she asked, "Why am I here?"

The said kid responded with much superiority and formality, "Perhaps that genius friend of yours forgot to detect an itty-bit of a device in your body" Her vision was now normal, she saw the ESP.

Mikan raised her right hand to rub her eyes off from soreness but she felt a heavy metal on her wrist; it was sort of like a bracelet, only heavier than normal. She ran her pale hand into her wrist, trying to comfort herself a little. She held her gaze back to him, "What device?"

He threw her a fake look of shock, mocking her "Oh. I am terribly disappointed; I thought you knew of it. Didn't you know that Alices such as time tripping and teleportation needed to be tamed?"

He continued, "Didn't you know that if an Alice wielder sets his/her feet away from the academy, the device activates?"

"For example, if a device-planted Alice wielder of teleportation sets his feet outside the Academy without the use of any alice, the device activates, and once he uses his own alice of teleportation, he will be teleported back to the Academy. "

"Bullshit" She shot him a fierce glare, defying his mere existence

"Nah-ah-ah! I didn't expect such foul words coming from angelic lips. Don't disappoint me any further Sakura, I might not be able to hurt you directly but I have other means." He said in a sort of singsong voice, mimicking a doting mother.

"Such as?" Her brows furrowed with confusion and curiosity. What is there to lose? She seemed to forget.

"Friends? Or perhaps I should let everyone on this Academy suffer on your behalf, that would be interesting." His piercing gaze was upon her wrist, eyeing her so carefully about the bracelet. Currently, she was still massaging her wrist.

"…" She looked down and spoke nothing. She was in a deep thought. 'How can I forget?' She screamed inwardly.

The ESP leaned a little closer to her ears, whispering words honey-coated with pure malice "Yes, be like that—behave like a tamed little pet. Now, use your gift for the Academy"

Her eyes widened in surprise but she tends not to give herself up,"I am of no more use. I can't even wield an Alice properly."

His gaze dropped down to his side, sighing "That---I will have to solve in no time. For the meantime, your mere presence will have a great use."

"Wha—What are you planning?" She stuttered, a little nervous about herself. She knew something was wrong about his tone. She herself felt so wrong.

"Let see, I think your other friends will be willing to rescue you. Or not. I think "kill" is a more suitable word. Afterall, you did not know of their suffering when you left" His hands went up her face, caressing her cheeks, however Mikan didn't seem to mind.

She was too curious to notice him slowly nearing to her lips, besides, her eyes were closed." What did you do to them?" she questioned, hitching a little when she felt his breath near her face---too near.

She didn't want to see his face so near, so with eyes closed, she distanced herself a little.

If a person accidentally walks into the room, he might conclude that a kid was molesting an adult.

The kid was faster that it seems, he closed the gap so fast that Mikan failed to notice, "You'll find out soon."

Her eyes shot up with shock and anger.

It was too familiar. Salty waters clouded her vision involuntarily.

A painful memory struck her.

As his lips lock onto hers, she cries.

**-x-**

_A girl cries sitting in a silent little corner, wiping her lips so ardently. Even to the point where little glitches of blood were present. Her shaking hands went berserk along with the tears flooding her vision. She kept scrubbing her hand against her lips. _

_She was violated and she never felt this filthy. _

_In a dark cell hidden underneath the peaceful looking Academy, a brunette cries, wails and holds onto her memory for sanity._

_'Natsume. Natsume. Natsume' She chants his name in her breaking mind like a mantra. _

_She scrubs. She cries. She shakes. She whispers. She murmurs. _

_He was her lifeline at that moment. _

_However, in a dark place where she was residing, she could only rely on herself. _

_**"Somebody, save me"**_

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**----Not all kisses are sweet neither are escapes successful**

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**A/N: **I know, it has been like---forever. Sorry if I wasn't able to post a little earlier.

**A SUPER special mention** to: **cookiemonster789** – belated happy birthday, dearest friend. I hope you liked my present.

**Special mention** to these people who supported me, you're all----my backbones. (That was lame, but oh well.) Without your support, I couldn't have made this chapter possible.

So thank you, and I hope you'll keep on supporting me. Send me a review or two; I need to hear some comments and criticisms. I really want to improve. :

-i-love-you-Se-chan- , OtakuShigatsuGalz7653, iimAdOrKabLe , i'mnotemojustgoth, Emmoria, StrangersHaveTheBestCandy, fitha, StarAngel02, pLumBloSsoM07, stephmoomoo

Send me some looooove. :)


	6. Chapter Six: Her vision

_**Disclaimer: I own nothing but these morbid thoughts. **_

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_****You can run but you can't hide**

"_How does it feel? That red warm liquid escaping your veins"_

**Let the blood bath begin.**

"_Cold"_

**Caught you!**

**"**How ironic"

You and I

_I said hello_

_But you said goodbye_

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F **O U R** S E A S O N S

_Swirl and twirl along with the whispering winds of autumn. _

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_Sweat mixes along with blood, so thick and rusty. A man hovers a trembling girl. His lips smeared with black forms a menacing smirk. He licks upper lip unconsciously. _

_A boy wearing a formal suit is watching the girl quiver with so much fear. He chuckles with amusement. _

_The man wearing an all black suit comes near at the girl. He pulls a thin whip; he likes to hear the thwacking sound produced by it. _

_He whips. _

_The girl curves into a ball, stifling a painful cry. _

_He curses. _

_The girl speaks nothing, cowering_

_He pulls her hair, forcibly. _

_Tears descend from her eyes. _

"_Use your Alice", the man says. _

_She mutters, "No" snapping her head down. She refuses to comply. _

_He whips, again. _

_And again_

_And again_

And again

_The boy is amused by the scene. He laughs hysterically. The sound echoes within the dark forbidden room. _

_Sweat and blood mixes so awfully. _

"_**Pitiful little mukuoka"**__ the boy taunts. _

_Crimson liquid splutters, the art of morbidity in process. _

_Her eyes dull, closing along with pain. _

_She cries. _

"_Natsume" she calls silently, but no one answers. _

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**Chapter **Six:

H E R

**V I S I O N**

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"**Stop!"** Mikan pushed the ESP with all her might. The kiss is so wrong, from before up until now. _'It's just ridiculous!'_, she screamed inwardly

The ESP only laughed at her reaction. It was so like before, she was frightened and shocked like a homeless kitten. "Mikan, you should stop that crying. Your expression remind me of your futile escape with that Kuro Neko"

She hugged herself away from him, holding back tears. She chose not to respond, she couldn't.

"Can't remember how you got caught?"

From that question, memories of yesteryear triggered on her brain like a fast bullet.

* * *

"Natsume, why are we doing this?" I asked him, while running away from the damned room, away from the dangerous ability class, away from Persona, away from the ESP.

Natsume didn't bother to look at me but he ran faster, dragging me along with him. "Shut up and run, idiot"

"But, others will suffer on my behalf" I sent him a glare and argued while I tried to pace up with him but he didn't mind

"I don't care about the others, right now, all I give a damn is you---only you" He held my hand tighter, he was shaking slightly. He was nervous and I wondered why. What he said, made my heart skip a beat, I was happy and I felt that he was the only one I need.

"…" I failed to respond; I was left speechless by his touching remark. True enough, I squeezed his hand tighter and ran faster.

No one was attacking us and I thought it was a moment where time would stop and take us into a happy ever after.

"I'll let you out of this hell hole"

I smiled and hugged him tightly from behind, making him halt so suddenly "Thank you, Natsume"

**_We were both caught off guard ----_**

**BANG!**

All I felt was my heart numbing, my hand slipping away from his warmth, blood protruding from my chest, my vision blacking out and my name being called out frantically by the man I love.

"MIKAN!!!!"

_**--I was shot--**_

**BANG!**

_**--And so was he.**_

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**We bathed in our own pool of blood. Wishing for everything to end---for us to be together until the end. **

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A/N: Bloody, but that's how I like it---like—like like it. Thank you for supporting this fic. Quite short, but this is all I could reveal.

I won't be able to put special mentions but I send lots of love to those who keep on reading this. We share the same like.

Anyways, next chapter will be on Natsume's point of view. So you'll be able to see the other side of the story. I know this story is twisted.

Reviews are loved.


	7. Chapter Seven: His fading music

**Disclaimer applied.**

"kamehameha!" - spoken words

_'kamehameha!_' - thoughts

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_I won't leave you alone again_.

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F **O** **U** R

S **E A** S **O** N S

_So help me, God_

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Hotaru Imai was two years young when she started imagining devices. She thought that it was weird because whenever she planned of making one, her body would move as if it knew everything. But then, she was two and she thought she was just intelligent. After all, her parents said, "You're special"

At a young age of three, Hotaru Imai knew something was wrong with her. Her parents were just ordinary businessmen. Although she never knew what they're buying or selling, she knew something was weird when they would transfer houses from time to time.

She was three and she shrugged of the uncertainty from her mind. _'They are just businessmen'_ she thought optimistically.

At age seven, she solved the enigma of their frequent transfer.

One day, while she was doing her math in school, her parents suddenly slammed the door of her classroom open and carried her off with such haste. Apparently, a group of people wearing black suits and shades were chasing them. It was then, she knew her abilities to invent different kinds of devices weren't normal.

They were after her.

At age nine, after several successful escape from their pursuers, she found a moment of peace at a faraway village. It was then, she met a girl named Mikan.

She felt ----just felt that she's special. Because whenever she was with her, she always felt warmth. It was a really good feeling and she wouldn't want to let it go. Afterall, she was already branded as a 'greedy' person.

She was ten years young when she felt a painful tug at her heart. She didn't want to leave this girl named Mikan. She wanted to be with her. She felt different kind of emotions with her. May it be good or bad, she didn't care---she just wanted to be by her side. But, she knew that she couldn't add burden to her parents anymore.

She couldn't just run away forever. So she left Mikan, left the peaceful village, left her family and left her everything. This time, when she bid her last goodbye to Mikan, she branded her 'selfish'

Maybe she was being selfish. But maybe, just maybe she's being selfless.

When Hotaru came to the Academy, she only has one goal. She wanted everyone to feel the warm feeling in her heart. The feeling that was once Mikan shared with her----she wanted to share it to everyone. And that's when, she thought of using her abilities.

At age twelve, the warm fuzzy feeling of happiness came back to her. Her bestfriend, Mikan joined the Academy. But there was another part of her that wanted to protect Mikan from the darkside of the Academy. And so, another goal was formed.

She is going to protect Mikan from the Academy.

At age sixteen, everything in her world shattered. Every hopes and dreams that welled up perfectly inside her heart were broken into tiny and sharp pieces.

She lost Mikan.

_Hotaru, you're my number one bestfriend in this world!!!!_

There goes the warm fuzzy feeling again.

**RIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINGGGGGGG**

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Chapter _**Seven:**_

**His fading music**

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_Hotaru, you're my number one bestfriend in this world!!_

**-RIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINGGGGGGG-**

One slender hand turned the alarm off, the other hand, pulled off the blanket covering her lithe body. Lavender colored eyes stared at the ceiling, pondering about what nears the future.

She really didn't feel like sleeping but everything that happened yesterday put a lot of stress and pressure on her. Especially when Mikan broke free from her laboratory, yesterday.

Standing up, she immediately went to the bathroom and prepared for the day. She knew that no matter what happens, Mikan wouldn't go back to the Academy voluntarily but something was wrong about the situation. For some reason, she really felt worried.

After breakfast, Hotaru Imai flipped her phone open and called for Natsume. He detested working with that guy, but, when it comes to physical prowess; with or without alice, she knew he could be of use.

The said guy greeted her with a grunt, "Any news?", the inventor asked monotonously.

"Ruka heard a rumor that someone 'important' arrived at the academy yesterday. Although that important person is still anonymous and is under a tight security, he suspected that it might be 'her'"

"Mikan would never return to that place, you know that"

"She's unpredictable. She's not the same old 'idiot' you knew."

Hotaru flinched at his last retort, it was very true. She is not the same Mikan from before. "Find me another laboratory. Goodbye" and that ended their conversation.

Even though after finding that idiot friend of hers, she kept herself locked. Everything was locked by her alice, including her very memory. It was then, Hotaru decided to decode and restore her memory; a part of her wanted to know what had happened during the time of her loss while another part of her wanted to know what she felt. But then, even her alice had limitations.

Although Mikan recovered 100% of her memory, what happened during her disappearance is still a mystery.

She even put her into a long sleep just to solve the mystery floating around her. Just for solving her own problem, she'd go as far as putting her best friend into cold sleep.

_Selfish and greedy. _She had always been that.

But then, she always asked herself, _'Would her reason bring me a bit of happiness?'_

'_What would I do next after knowing her reason?'_

Sometimes, she wished that Mikan was just a normal non-alice person.

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A blonde male in his twenty years of spring, scattered bread crumbs in the floor of his veranda. Flocks of little birds went down and pecked at the floor. It already became his habit to feed animals during early mornings, it was one way to relieve himself from worrying. After all, his students are a bit handful, now he knew what Narumi-sensei felt when he handled his batch.

Several knocks on his door was heard and his attention was caught, "Nogi-sensei, you are being called by Principal Kuonji"

He opened the door, smiled with utmost courtesy(and fakeness) and said his affirmation, "I will report to him in a few minutes, thank you". After a reassuring nod by the messenger, he shut the door close. His polite smile turned into a disgusted scowl and his eyes dulled with hatred.

If there was one person he could kill, it was the principal. The man who started everything; the one who sunk everyone into despair.

His fists were balled tight, remembering the painful memories of his teenage. His eyes blinked a few, then he heaved a heavy sigh, as if he needed to calm down and be rational.

Exiting his room, he took long but swift and graceful strides towards the principal's office. On his way, several students greeted him and paid due respect while he only gave a small smile in return. The door of the principal's office is very different compared to other rooms. It is the only room in that specific floor that had bodyguards.

_'Tch. What a coward'_

Having no choice but to proceed, a guard by the door asked him, "Name and purpose?"

Ruka flinched inwardly, in his world; these guards are pathetic and robot-like. His very tongue itched to say_, 'Ruka Nogi and my purpose is to kill that heck of a bastard!'._ He had always wanted to try that line.

Setting aside his thoughts, "Ruka Nogi, I was called by Principal Kuonji" he responded with his polite smile. And the door was opened for him.

Of course, the sight that greeted him isn't very pleasant.

In front of him is a hologram of a woman whom he knew. The hologram shows a woman lying in a bed. She was equipped with numerous Alice-suppressing devices ----so many it hurts just to see them.

_'Sakura-san'_

Principal Kuonji smirked at the man in front of him; who wouldn't be. The man was speechless and was at loss of proper thought.

Before Ruka could even ask questions, the ESP dropped a folder at his table that read 'Confidential'.

With a sharp and distinct voice, Kuonji spoke, "Now, how would you like to cooperate with me, Nogi-san?"

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He closes his pair of azure orbs---

_**The music starts with a soft tune. **_

He smiles, taking her hand into his while they dance in the festival. She smiles, gripping his hand together with hers, drowning him in an utmost and almost unrealistic happiness.

**_Then the catchy chorus came_**

He smiles, sharing his dream of being with her together with his furry friends ---forever in a peaceful life.

She smiles, and agrees without realizing the implications.

They were both young and naïve.

**_The heart-pounding bridge arrived_**

He frowns while she cries in frustration.

**_The refrain was sung_**

It was his time to cry for her death

**_The catchy chorus came again_**

He smiles so bitterly, shattering his dream of being with her.

He lives in a world he hadn't expected, he wanted death.

**_And the song ended----_**

_**----With a line that said,**__** '**__it doesn't make any sense'_

_**And thus, the music died.**_

---and opens them, revealing a sad blue ocean.

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_So help me God, prevent me from killing the man I truly detest. _

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**Special thanks to these cool people:**

sheep-san is here to stay, xCrissCrossx, Alice Starr, lady-ra, stephmoomoo, HyuugaYingLang, Larsie0316, fitha, kmc27, Knight Dreemer

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Thank you for supporting this fic. Hehe, I know I said that I would be posting Natsume's point of view in this story but---- it kinda boggled my mind to no end.

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**Frequently asked questions:**

1. How old are they in present time?

Mikan and the gang are in their twenties. The ESP is still young looking BUT he's actually the oldest among the people in the Academy. (that old fart)

2. Who's Kuonji? ESP?

While reading the (cool and dark) manga, I found out that the **E**lementary **S**chool **P**rincipal's name is Kuonji. (that sonofabeyotch)

3. Why did Mikan steal Natsume's alice?

You'll know soon.

4. What took you so long in updating?

Writer's block and busy schedule

5. Who is narrating the story?

Most of the lines in the story are written in third person perspective, meaning I, the author is the narrator.


	8. Chapter Eight: His realistic dream

**Standard disclaimer applied.**

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_Do I still have your heart?_

**Four Seasons**

_Do you still need my heart?_

_"If I give you your fairytale story, would you give me your happily ever after? "_

_..._

_"That's what I thought, too."_

Only the sound of the wheels of the gurneys and the sound of the scrub shoes running across the hall of the hospital was heard as the young couple were rushed into safety.

The young brunette had several doctors and paramedics around her, a bullet straight through the aorta of her heart. It was a miracle that she was still breathing. Normal people would've died in an instant. But the alice of healing that she accidentally absorbed from a stone and the hands of Hotaru's brother, maintaining pressure on her wound and at the same time healing her were the only ones keeping her breathing for a moment. His alice was being amplified by the long-haired man named Tono rushing with him to the surgery room.

However, her willpower to live was even stronger than two alices combined.

Her pair of olive-green eyes squinted for a second, whilst whispering a name from the very last of her breath. _'__Natsume__'_

_Mikan Sakura_

_16 years of age_

_Dead on arrival. _

That very day, young souls were sunk into darkness

**08.**

A very loud sob woke up Natsume from his deep slumber. It had been two days since their attempted and failed escape. Whilst Mikan suffered from a fatal gun wound, he had just lost consciousness from a gun wound on his arm. It wasn't as fatal as having a wound to the heart but still an artery was hit, causing massive blood loss and shock. Upon waking up, he looked upon his friends grieving for reasons still unknown to him. He struggled to keep his eyes open but still managed to do so. With a hoarse voice he mumbled, "Where's she?"

The others were still busy grieving except for a very stoic looking Hotaru sitting right next to Natsume. Her lavender eyes widened for a moment but quickly regained its cool. She immediately looked at him, making sure she wasn't imagining "You're awake"

Sumire was the first to hear Hotaru, she immediately rushed to him with tears freely falling on her face. "Natsume-kun! Natsume-kun! It's terrible! Really terrible"

The said raven haired boy forced himself to sit but was helped by a gloomy looking Ruka instead. "What happened to her?"

It was a question that none of them wanted to answer. All of them looked dejected and mournful. It was enough to keep him paranoid, he knew her death was possible at the same time impossible. At this very moment, years spent on his pessimism rejecting optimism had reversed.

Inwardly, he struggled, '_No. __It __can__'__t __be. __That __can__'__t __be.__ '_

"Tell me she didn't die"

Silence was the only reply he received.

His bloodshot eyes widened in rage "TELL ME SHE'S ALIVE!" he screamed, shocking all of his friends. But Hotaru was not one to be fazed by blind rage.

"She died" She stood up, and quickly left the room, off to shed tears that were only meant for her.

Ruka, Sumire, Yuu and even Koko stood awkwardly inside the room. No one dared to speak a word and silence deafened them temporarily.

"How long was I out?"

Yuu nervously pushed his large glasses up the bridge of his nose and stuttered, "T-t-two days, Natsume-san. Mikan-chan – s-she d-died -"

Unable to finish his statement, Ruka flatly added "Two days ago, she died. We never saw her again."

He didn't know that a man such Ruka could look so horrifying at someone's death. His usually bright azure eyes were now deep icy blue, cold and fatal.

"We couldn't believe it at first. Since, her body was never shown to us. Not even a memorial service was held for her. But, it was Subaru-san who conducted her surgery and was with her all the time. And he was the one who broke the news to us. Tono-san did too. Koko read their minds and we had no choice but to believe them" Ruka said, a bitter smile placed on his face.

"What happened after?"

"Nothing. Classes resumed. Like nothing ever happened. Then you woke up. "

"If classes resumed, how come you are in here?"

Ruka scoffed, annoyed "We never attended classes after the incident, we won't respect those who never gave us the opportunity to mourn for her. Plus, you were on ICU yesterday, now was the only time for us to visit you. "

Natsume laid down on the hospital bed again, letting all the news sink into him. Suddenly, he felt weak and fatigued. He covered his eyes with his uninjured arm, forcing his not to come out. "I had a dream"

Having all attention placed on him, he continued, "In that dream, she was wearing her hospital gown, she stood beside me in this bed. Whispering to me_**, **__**'It**__**'**__**s **__**going **__**to **__**be **__**alright. **__**Everything **__**is **__**going **__**to **__**be **__**fine. **__**You**__**'**__**ll **__**be **__**free **__**again, **__**Natsume-kun**__**' **_She touched my forehead and I saw a soft red glow on her hand. That glow faded within seconds and I felt light - and free. She scooted next to me in this bed, kissed my forehead and said_** ' **__**I**__**' **__**m **__**always **__**with **__**you**__**-**__**and **__**you,**__**with **__**me.**__** '**_ After that, she inserted a green alice stone within my body. She kissed me softly on the lips, whispering _**' **__**I **__**love**__**you ,**__**Natsume-kun.**__**'**_ I felt warm droplets tears on my face whilst she held my hand for a minute or two. "

"'_**I**__**'**__**m **__**sorry. **__**I **__**had **__**to **__**do **__**this.**__**'**_ She said as she hugged me close, making me feel comfortable and drowsy at the same time, however if sleeping in here means waking up in reality - then, I want nothing of those. With one last kiss on my lips, she scooted away and stood up, pristine white hospital gown billowing with every step she took as she neared the door. "

"'_**Don**__**'**__**t **__**go!**__**' **_I remember that I pathetically almost begged her that. But with a sad and regretful smile, she said **_'Goodbye_**' and then she was gone.

Sumire instantly questioned, shocked. "Are you sure that was a dream? "

Natsume glared at her, obviously annoyed at her stupidity but he shrugged it aside. "Do you think I'm lying?"

She immediately apologized but quickly replied, "That's not what I meant, Natsume-kun. What I mean is that, if that is a dream – then you should've had your alice by now. "

Koko read the green haired girl's mind immediately, eyes wide with shock, he continued "Usually, when you're mad, your alice goes along with your emotions. But when you screamed at us earlier, we didn't feel the room increase in temperature nor your body emit any flame of sort"

Yuu suggested, " Why don't you try lighting a flicker with your alice, Natsume-san?"

But Ruka disagreed, " No way guys! He's tired, and using his alice, no matter how small the amount is –will -"

"I'll try it" He cut off Ruka, preventing him from saying anything about his alice.

Slowly, he lifted his palm from his lap and tried to produce a fire. But three seconds have passed and nothing ever happened. He tried again, this time, closing his eyes to concentrate to be able to produce a larger fireball.

But a minute had gone by and neither a spark nor a flicker was seen.

"Well?" Ruka asked, hands nervously fisted inside his pant pockets.

Natsume's eyes went wide with shock and astonishment as he revealed,

"I can't use my Alice"

* * *

Note: I know. It took me almost two years to post another chapter. I am so sorry. Truly, I am. I faced a lot of hardships and challenges for the last 2 years, and I was really unable to find the time to continue this. However, since I only have 4 subjects that I take once a week. I think I'll have the time to update from time to time.

Once again, sorry.

Also, as I was re-reading this fanfic - I observed that really - the chapters that I post are kinda short, they could be considered a drabble. Maybe I should make this a drabble fic, yes? I'm planning to edit the previous 7 chapters though - I think my writing style had changed, I was a bad writer before, now I think I'm worse! Haha. Anyway, it's a good thing to be back in ffnet. :)

As per usual, reviews motivate me, inspire me and most of all, makes me smile.


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